Ownership aligns interests. Everything else is just talk.
You can't trust a job posting to tell you about workplace culture, management quality, or long-term security. But you can trust ownership structure.
At cooperatives and worker-owned companies, you're not just an employee, you're an owner with a voice in decisions. In good times, everyone shares the profits. In bad times, everyone decides together how to best weather the storm.
Not only is your job more secure, but worker cooperatives are more resilient while they're starting up and during economic downturns. In the US, they survive at a rate 7% higher than traditional small businesses during their first 6-10 years.
Most job boards are full of companies claiming to be "different." We skip the marketing speak and focus on ownership structure. If workers don't have actual ownership or collective bargaining power, they're not here. That means no "mission-driven" non-profits where everyone feels "like part of the family".
You're not looking for people to work for. You're looking for people to work with.
There are fewer than 1,000 worker cooperatives in the entire US, and most rarely hire. Don't rely on stumbling across these opportunities by chance.